'A great time:' Brewers players joined kids from Journey House to create furry friends from Build-A-Bear
MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Brewers players joined 25 kids from Milwaukee's Journey House Saturday, Jan. 25 to create their own furry friends from Build-A-Bear.
Participating Brewers players included Ray Black, Corey Knebel, Corey Ray, Trey Supak, Bobby Wahl, and Devin Williams.
"Just come, and hang out, meet some great kids, and make some Build-A-Bears, and have a great time," said Wahl, Brewers relief pitcher. "Build-A-Bear is a great company and a great purpose behind it. I remember as a kid, it was always fun for me to go with parents and make my own bear, so it should be a lot of fun today. Just hanging out with the kids, get to know them, and put a smile on their face, and just being a part of this is pretty cool."
"We have a number of our Journey House participants that are creating Build-A-Bears for the first time, so we have a lot of families and children that are excited about this event," said Quentin Prince with Journey House. "This is great for the players to come out, and spend time with the kids, doing this event for the day. The kids are very excited. They are smiling and laughing. They are engaged. I love that the players are building the bears with the kids, so that is a highlight of the kids' day. They have a lasting memory for this event that they have today. They get to meet a Brewers player and build a bear -- the bear that they will have for a number of years."
Kids dressed their personalized bear in baseball apparel and took part in the Build-A-Bear “heart ceremony” and birth certificate distribution. Afterward, the players enjoyed lunch with the kids and their parent(s).
PHOTO GALLERY (Courtesy: Kirsten Schmitt/Milwaukee Brewers)
The "Beyond the Diamond" initiative funded by Brewers Community Foundation was held at the Journeyman Hotel.
Journey House empowers families on Milwaukee’s near south side to move out of poverty by offering adult education, youth development, workforce readiness, and family engagement.
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